Railway-crossing-gate mechanism



June 22 1926.

. M. D. ROACH RAILWAY CROSSING GATE MECHANISM Filed Feb. 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 22 192s. 1,589,563

' M. D. .ROACH v RAILWAY CROSSING GATE MECHANIM 7 Filed Feb. 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 44 ATTORNEY.

Patented June 22, 1926.

UNITED STATES i MICHAEL DLROACH, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOUTRI."

BAILWAY-CROSSING-GATE MECHANISM. V

Application filed February 9, 1925." Serial No. 7,963.

centrally pivoted on its axis so that its oppoillustrate the site end portions will be simultaneously moved against the direction of travel on the opposite sides of a road crossing a railway track. V v 2 A further object of my invention is to pro vide novel means for so swinging two gates at opposite sides respectively of a track which theroad crosses. i

A further object of my invention is the provision of novel means operable by trains passing in oppositedirections on the track for swingingthe gate in the manner "described.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a gate operating mechanism of the kind described, which is simple, cheap, durable, not liable to get out of Order, and which is reliable in its operation.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of my improved mechanism. shown mounted 'in operative condition with respect to a track and a road crossing the latter.

Fig. 2 is a side. elevation of the same.-

Fig. '3 is anenlarged cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, enlarged, on the line i -4E of Fig. 3, showing the parts in the position assumed by them, when not being operated by a train.

1 Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the parts in the position assumed by them,

when being operated by a car wheel.

Fig. 6 is a-detail view showing the connections of the horizontal levers with the ole ments 12,

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in the different views.

1 designates a railroad track and 2 a road crossing the same.

3 designates two vertical standards, on which are centrally'pivoted respectively on two vertical axes twocrossing gates 5 adapts ed to be mounted in the .m-iddleof the road 2 at opposite sides respectively of the track 1.

4: designates each of two horizontal levers,

the latter being respectively secured at their middle portions to the standards 3, the latter being rotatable in bearings 6, Figs. 2 and 3, mounted on and in the roadway.

Oscillatably mounted in suitable bearings 7 are two horizontal crank shafts 8, which PATENT OFFICE.

are disposed at opposite sides respectively of the road 2 at substantial distancestherefrom. and. which extends crosswise under the track 1.

Each crankshaft 8 isprovided at its ends with cranks 9, whichextend upwardly and away from the road 2. 7

Connected with the levers 4 are gate oper ating devices, following described parts. V V

10 is a rod, or tube, which isfpivoted at one end to the adjacent crank 9, its other end being connected by'a turn buckle 11, to a tube 12, Fig. 6, which is provided with an abutment comprising a. pin 13, extending therethrough and against which bears one end of coil spring 1 1, the other end of which bears against an abutment comprising a tube 15, and a transverse pin 16, which exeach of, which consists of the tends through the tube 15 and a rod '17,

slidably mounted in the tube 12, which is encircledby the coilspring i l. The outer end of the rod 17 is pivoted to the adjacent end portion of the adjacent lever l.

'For swinging the crank shafts 8 so as to operate the gates 5 by trains passing on the track 1 in opposite directions, the following described nechanisrn is employed. As both train operated means are alike, a description of one will sufiice for both. 1

Referring particularly 'to Figs. 3, Land 5, it will be noted that, theshaft 8 has a middle upwardly extending crank 18, which ispivoted to a link 19, which is pivotally connected at its upper end'by a horizontal pin 20, which is mounted in a plate 21, which is vertically slidable in a suitable support comprisinga vertical tube 22, which is boltedto a" horizontal plate 23, mounted'on a tubular base member 24. I V

Two vertical pins 25 have their upper ends rigidly fastened to the plate 21, and have their "lower end portions vertically slidable 1 has its flange strike the top of the plate 21, the latter will be depressed, thereby, through the link 19 and middle crank 18 causing the shaft 8 to be rocked, so as to swing the adjacent cranks 9 forwardly, and through the intermediacy of the adjacent bars 10, turn buckles 11, tubes 12, rods 17, and the levers 4, swinging the gates 5 from the position shown in Fig. 1, in the direction indicated by the arrows, in that figure, to positions crosswise of the road 2.

The gates '5 willv have their end portions respectively swung toward the direction of travel on opposite sides of the road.

A train passing in the opposite direction would through like connecting mechanism, revolve the gates, also so that they would swing at their opposite end portions respec tively toward the two lines of travel, at opposite sides of the road.

After the last wheel of the train had passed over the plate 21, which is depressible y trains passing in that direction, the coil springs 26 would restore the adjacent plate 21 to its original uppermost position, shown in Fig. 4, in which position, its upper side would be substantially level with the top of the adjacent rail of the track 1.

The plate 21 in moving upwardly would swing the shaft 8 through the link 19 in its crank 18, so that the end crank 9 in retracting would pull the tubes 12 rearwardly, by means of the turn buckles 11 and rods 10, and the adjacent springs 14 would pull the rods 17, so as to rock the levers 4 and with them the gates 5 to the original position shown in Fig. 1. Owing to the inertia of the gates-and the air pressure resisting their movement, the springs 14 will move them very slowly to the transverse positions with respect to the track, so that during theshort time intervals between the depressions of the plates 21 by the wheels of a passing train, there will be substantially no oscillatory movement of the gates.

By having the rods 17 slide in the tubes 12, when one set of the gate operating means is being operated by a train going in one direction to swing the gates crosswise, the gate operating mechanisms at the opposite side of the road remain inactive. 1

I do not limit my invention to the structure shown and described, as many modifications, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is r v a 1. In a railway crossing gate mechanism, two horizontal crank shafts adapted to be disposed crosswise and under a railway track and at opposite sidesrespectively of a road crossing the track, a crossing gate mounted on a central vertical axis intermediate of said crank shafts, two gate operating mechanisms respectively connected to and operated by said crank shafts, a lever secured to said gate with its ends at opposite sides of the axis of the latter, said ends being respectively attached to and adapted to be swung by said gate operating mechanisms, so as to swing said gate from a position parallel with said road to a position crosswise thereof and in a direction such that the end portions of the gate will move toward the travel at the opposite sides of the road, and two means, one operable by a train passing in one direction, and other operable by a train passing in the opposite direction, for respectively swinging said crank shaft to operate said two gate operating mechanisms respectively for swinging said gate to the crosswise position and having means for swinging said shaft in the opposite direction, after thetrain has passed, so as to operate said 'two gate operating means to swing said gate back'to its initial position.

2. In a railway crossing gate mechanism, a gate centrally pivoted on a vertical axis, a lever having its middle portion fastened to said gate, two horizontal crank shafts adapted to be disposed at opposite sides of a road crossing said track, and in the middle of which said gate is adapted to be disposed parallel therewith, two longitudinal tubes respectively pivoted to the cranks of said two shafts and reciprocative thereby, two rods respectively pivoted to said lever at opposite sides respectively of the axis of said gate, and respectively slidable in said tubes two coil springs respectively encircling said tubes, and two abutments on said tubes respectively, against which one set of ends of said coil springs respectively bear, two abutments on said rods respectively against which the'other ends of said springs bear, and means by whicha train passing in one direction on said track will operate one of said crank shafts, and a train passing in the other direction will swing the other crank shaft.

3. In a railway crossing gate mechanism, a gate centrally pivoted on a vertical axis, a' lever secured thereto, two pairs of gate operating members, the members of each pair being longitudinally slidable with respect to each other and respectively provided with abutments, two coil springs, each of which bears at its ends respectively against the two members of the adjacent pair and two means at opposite sides of the axis of said gate and respectively operable by trains passing in opposite vdirections on a track adjacent to which said gate is adapted to be disposed for respectively moving said two pairs of members in opposite directions.

4. In a railway crossing gate mechanism, a gate centrally pivoted on a vertical axis, a crank shaft adapted to be disposed crosswise under a railway track, means connecting with said gate for swinging the latter on its axis and including a bar pivoted to said crank shaft and longitudinally movable by the latter, a support, a plate vertically movable on said support adapted to be engaged and depressed by a car wheel, a link pivoted to said plate and to said crank shaft, for oscillating the latter when the plate is vertically reciprocated, and resilient means for moving said plate upward to its initial position, after it has been depressed. 10 In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

MICHAEL D. ROACH. 

